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The brazen terrorist attacks on Mumbai have sparked national outrage. Enough is enough is a catch phrase that has captured the imagination of the nation. As Mumbaikars prepare a massive protest at the Gateway of India, a similar one is being organised in New Delhi, at India Gate, 6 pm as well as rallies in other cities in India.
Rediff.com has deployed its reporters, camera persons and video crew to give you minute by minute updates.
Update: A group of about 100 Sikhs from Sion have set up stall, where they are giving tea and water out free.
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Update: Spotted: Prasoon Joshi, Kim Sharma, Piyush Pandey.
Update: Director Rohit Shetty: I came here to express my support and solidarity. Time to get out and say we want change. One week later our cops are still carrying outdated rifles. I can understand the anger against Pakistan. They are still asking for proof. How much more proof do they want? People are angry with politicians. Its time they realise this and become accountable for their actions.
Update: A group of youngsters create a candle memorial near Dhanraj Mahal, by the Tommy Hilfiger showroom. Removed from the Taj, but it's the thought.
Update: 8.08 Delhi meeting breaks up. With promise to meet on Friday again at 6.30 when the organisers promise to have a roadmap in black and white.
Update: In a bit. For now I want to be here, one with this crowd, reminding myself why I love this city, why I care
Update: Journalists are not given to emotion. We can't afford it - it distracts from our work. But here, now, listening to this chant. I find my eyes mist, a lump the size of the Taj form in my throat.
Update: A constant chant here: India! India! India! It sounds like a drumbeat. The heartbeat of a city that has turned out to show it will not break.
Update: In Delhi: Another larger group with 'I love Mumbai, jago Bharat, as the theme are cunducting a march through the heart of Delhi and will join the protestors at Jantar Mantar.
Update: The Gateway-Metro road is wall to wall people. You walk a foot, and you stop.
Update: 8.00: I am now a that point where the road terminates at Gateway Crazy. 100s of people are coming in still. Some leave. More come.
Update: A lady who did not wnat to be named: Why din't these people come out when there were riots in Mumbai? This is a tamasha only for TV
Update: Very small crowd in Delhi. Chaotic but lots of anger, especially against politicians. 'We pay tax, woh log karte ash' says a protestor
Update: Voices, banners... Anger and hurt everywhere in a million different manifestations
Update: Slogan: Bharat jamari ma hai, kya baap hamara hijda hai?
Update: Bharat ma ki shaan hai, mumbai meri jaan ha
Update: Banner in Delhi: SPG budget to protect netas up from 117 cr to 180 cr. NSG budget to protect 1 billion Indians down from 159 cr to 158 cr. Where is our money going?
Update: 7.50 Two high court lawyers: For many years we have seen neta power, now is the time to show janata power. Its a start. We may not achieve anything but we can raise our voice. We can come together for a cricket match why not for a cause
Update: In Delhi: Couple of people are stroking tempers. Their point: India should start unilateral military strike. People are getting into augumentative mode with protestors
Update: The rally is now a 1000 rallies. The space at gateway is jammed, so fresh people get as close as they can, and hold a rally right there. A friend tells me there are rallies all the way to Jehangir gallery. I'm off to see.
Update: Subodh Runwal, who is in the real estate, wnats to know why we are not attacking Pakistan and making them pay for their actions. He is willing to contribute monetarily to this, He also wants the prostitution of religion stopped.
Update: 7.40 The crowd has reduced but the enthusiasm has not waned
Update: ..Hurt, bewildered people, hoping for clarity. Someone, anyone, please give us answers? So, for the space of a few minutes, it's me.
Update: And it is so dark they can,t see my face, don't know whose opinion they are seeking. That is not the point, I guess. These are wounded ...
Update: If you pay them a proper wage, ensure they have a place to live and a school to send their children to, they will give their lives for you. A cop standing by, listening to all this, quietly chips in: Bhai saab, hum abhi bhi jaan de rahe hain! Sudden silence. A sense of shame. This has now become the typical crowd movement. Quiet little groups mourn on their own. Someone, off to one side, raises a Bharat Mata Ki Jai.
Everyone rushes in that direction. I was discussing an aspect of this with a friend. Someone stops to listen. Someone else joins him. Suddenly there's a dozen around us. Oe asks a Q. I answer. Another Q. Suddenly I am an expert, there is a group around me.
Update: Ha! The cop-bashing guy is now in heated argument with two others. Crowd forms. The counter argument is, do you know what a cop is paid?
Update: Dharmendra Goel, one of the participants at Gateway, wants to know why the hands of the military have been tied. Why are we not taking back PoK once and for all? This indecision is the cause of all the problems were are facing.
Update: Priya Dutt spied. Koena Mitra, Ragheshwari spied
Nirja Shah there says please make sure the media does not deflected by reporting on escalation of India-Pak tension.
Roads packed with people right from Colaba Police station till Gateway and Regal. Ambulances on standby. In front of Leopold Mumbai Meri Jaan T-shirts were selling for Rs 100. Selling like hot cakes.
Farhang Jehani from Leo said he would be at the rally
Update: One guy in front with placard, 2 guys with him hyping, selling. They seem to be getting a few phone numbers, visiting cards.
Update: This is Mumbai. We don't sleep. And we don't miss a chance either. Zicom, the security guys, are on the spot selling home security systems.
Update: Cop at CST station telling two young girls that there's a bomb found, so don't go to rally
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Update: 7.16 Delhi protest venue shifted from India Gate to Jantar Mantar
Update: Thank you all msging me about bomb. No worries. The news has spread, but no panic. A filmmaker who doesn't want his name used says, "No worries yaar, this is Bombay. Maut thodi poochke aathi!"
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Update: A mini commotion: one man marches up to a group of cops leaning against the parapet near where the ferries board. How do you know there are no terrorists here? he asks. People are walking around, many carrying bags, you stand here and gossip? Haven't you learnt anything yet?
One cop starts a justification: these are mourners, we do not want to harass them. Then go back to your station, why are you here,? he asks.
Shamefaced, the cops walk away into the crowd
Update: No politician can command such a turnout. This is Mumbai at its best. Jai Hind
Update: Anger is the all pervasive emotion. People are here from all walks of life, raising slogans. Actors, celebrities and the common man all walking in a sweaty press of humanity to express their rage.
Update: A mini commotion: one man marches up to a group of cops leaning against the parapet near where the ferries board. How do you know there are no terrorists here? he asks. People are walking around, many carrying bags, you stand here and gossip? Haven't you learnt anything yet?
Update: Banner: WE HATE YOUR POLITICS!
Update: Cops block sea facing road as crowds gets heavy. Despite the crowds, people lighting candles.
Update: So how many people are here at the Gateway of India in the rally? To put it mildly, in their thousands, and judging by the crowds walking back with some of our correspondents to the Churchgate bus stop, many are not south Mumbai-ites rallying for their precinct, but genuine city lovers, taking time off on their way home.. to show solidarity for their dear city... Such spirit needs to be saluted!
Update: People come in little groups, find or create a little space. They gather, pray, light a candle. They pause. They look at the Taj.
Update: Mumbai rally: More and more people keep pouring in... what an amazing spirit... the crowds are thick and determined... politicians better watch out!
Update: The heartrending, heartwarming sights proliferate.
Update: 6.56 Delhi protests kick off with candlelight vigil. People are trickling in and the vigil is building steam
Update: NEWSBREAK: The bombs found at CST station in Mumbai have been defused, say police.
Update: Candlelight marches are also held across other cities: Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata....
Update: NEWSBREAK: Two bags containing 4 kg of RDX found in Chhatrapati Shivaji Railway Terminus in Mumbai, says PTI quoting police sources.
Update: From Churchgate station, every road is a seething mass of humanity. Some going back, more coming in.
Update: Like a Mexican wave, an applause wave going round. Starting at the Gateway and goes passing towards Regal.
Update: People can be seen shouting slogans against politicians,
blaming them for the state of affairs in the country.
Update: Elsewhere I am told, Priety Zinta and a few other stars have landed up and are doing their own rally.
Update: This is heartbreaking stuff. 8 days ago today, at this time if you stood where I am now, you would see the Taj shimmer, a diadem of corruscating brilliance. Now, 16 lights burn on its facade. It can make your eyes mist - but.... Lights are on in the Taj!
Update: Banner: Terrorist kaun? Politician!
Update: This is heartbreaking stuff. 8 days ago today, at this time if you stood where I am now, you would see the Taj shimmer...
Update: The lights are now coming on in the Taj!
Update: Thousands upon thousands of people in Mumbai are lighting candles to pay respects to the dead and to show solidarity in this movement of protest against the system... it's an awesome sight... truly moving..
Update: 6.33 A group of young women and children lit candles, bowed their heads in prayer. Now they have formed a line and are doing a silent procession.
Update: Banner in Mumbai: Let's kill terrorism.. Halla Bol!!
Update: Bnner: WE CONDEMN PAKISTAN
Update: Banner: DON'T LET THIS FLAME DIE OUT!
Update: But there are many naysayers too.. bystanders who feel that this 'movement' will soon be forgotten and people will go back to their lackadasical ways and the politicians to their callous ones... the terrorist will lurk around the corner and watch all this....
Update: Anthem done, Akthar says it's time to go home. Not a chance - more people pouring in, in larger groups. Getting difficult to find standing space
Update: In Hyderabad: Hundreds of candles being lit
Update: This is an unprecedented show of solidarity at the Gateway of India. This is the stuff great societies are built on.. it is an epoch-making event....
Update: In Bangalore, angry banners demand war
Update: The All India Minority Forum is participating in the Kolkata rally: Forget vote, punish the killers, it says. ‘Terrorism has no religion,’ ‘no creed’, their only creed is violence!
Update: Hotel management student Sagar Khod was carrying a handmade poster ‘Terrorists must die a slow death.’ He says this is the only way they will understand what Indians feel. He is also here to pay his respect and tributes to everyone who fought the terrorists.
Update: 6.29 The national anthem sung, Akthar leading. This is soul stirring. You stand to the anthem in assemblies and theatres but right here tt has a power you cannot capture in words. Several 100 voices, and many choke. A girl next to us sings with upraised candle tears stream down her face. She is oblivious.
Update: Politicians should not be allowed to file nominations, says a man speaking to a television channel... His feelings are echoed by dozens of others...
Update: Amazing crowd of people all the way to the Regal cinema. More than 100,000 people at the rally....
Update: 6.24 The first few candles being lit.
Update: Javed Akthar speaking: Those who did this are seeing us now on TV. Let them know that we are here, and will not be defeated in 100 years. Akthar in fiery mode, speaking to rousing cheers
Update: Adman Padamsee leads chants of Jai Hind at the Gateway of India.
Update: 6.23 A group passes around black armbands and says, wear it, keep it on till we get results
Update: Padamsee finishes collecting responses. This part of the rally ends with Jai Hind
Update: The rally is a strange mix of compassion, rage, and curiosity.....
Update: Saurabh Narang; "Yes, this is a bit unfocussed, but right now it is about catharsis, and it is needed. People need to show up and show they care, so let them. Convergence of ideas can come later."
Update: Banner in Mumbai: Downgrade politicians' security, upgrade citizens'!
Update: 6:17 pm -- In Kolkata, similar thoughts are being aired.... Let's not fan the fire of communalism in this hour of crisis, says Anisur Ali, a private firm employee from Tiljala, Kolkata.
Update: Actor Raj Zutshi caught a train from Andheri station to get to the rally. Here’s what I think needs to be done, he says:
1. Stop blaming others, including the government and get involved yourself. Your responsibility does not end when you pay your taxes.
2. Be more vigilant. If every citizen does this, the terrorists will find it difficult to strike.
3. Become more compassionate about everyone around you. Hatred won’t find a place to grow.
4. Donate your time and money to develop the nation and get rid of its problems.
5. Prove that you are worth someone laying down their life to keep you safe.
Update: Banner: Politicians, GET OUT!
Update: People of all walks of life, all shapes and sizes, all strata of society rub shoulders with each other in this unprecedented show of solidarity in Mumbai. Girls in backless dresses, men in jeans, women in sarees and salwar kameezs, everyone's face is aflame with a fervour that needs to be seen to be believed!
Update: Anurag Kashyap: "Slogan shouting is not good. It dishonors those who died, trivialises this.
Update: Ila Arun: We will bounce back
Update: The crowd is overwhelmingly young - and an interesting aspect is evolving
Update: The air is rent with 'Bharat Mata Ki Jay' and 'Vande Mataram!' slogsans
Update: The older people gravitating to the political groups who are shiuting slogans. The younger ones at the gateway, looking for something to do
Update: Mumbai rallyists condemn Pakistan in slogans.
Update: Form fillers and TV cameras in equal measure. Crowd continues to build. Cops line the perimeter, quietly watching.
Update: For now, the focus for the young is Padamsee, who is exhorting everyone to list their ideas. Not to be frivolous, but he is like a schoolmaster: "All who havent got forms raise your hands. All who have forms have ten minutes to fill them"
Update: Adman Alyque Padamsee is on the stage, exhorting people to keep this unprecendented flame alive.
Update: A banner reads: CM, take me to the Taj. I can make a better movie than RGV
Update: Candles are being lit in Mumbai.
Update: Filmmaker Sandip Ray in Kolkata says: ‘Please don’t make any film on Mumbai attack’
Update: Ila Arun: I am here because Mumbai is here. What is in the hearts of all Mumbaikars, is in mine. We have to Gandhi's means. We should keep out wisdom together.
Update: Why cannot we have a secure life, it's time politicIans answered, says Amritangshu Datta, a rallyist in Kolkata.
Update: 6.06 -- Banner in Mumbai -- NO SECURITY, NO TAXES!
Update: Messages and rhetoric very diverse. From bomb Pakistan to love all and hate none
Update: Pakistan should be taught a lesson, says Ujjwal, a 19-year old student at the rally.
Update: In Kolkata, the rally is being attended by Hindus and Muslims who are stressing on unity to fight against the heinous foreign power that is perpetrating attacks in India.
Update: People are turning back as the venue is overflowing
Update: Prahlad Kakkar: We should stop paying brides if we want to make a fresh start. I have never seen anything like this. I am disgusted with what's happening. This is our city and a thing like that can only happen here. From the rich businessman to the taxiwala are here. Just stop bribes, we will change the city and the country.
Update: Banner in Mumbai: The government is like the three monkeys: It is neither seeing anything, nor hearing anything, nor is it saying anything of value.
Update: Downgrade politicians' security, upgrade citizens' security, says a banner.
Update: Amit Ghosh, an IT employee, at the Press club rally says: We deserve a better life! He wants politicians to do more, much more...
Update: More than 500 people already in the Kolkata rally.. but the number is growing every minute!
Update: This is the anger of Mumbai! Is the government watching it? It needs to understand the anger of the people...!
Update: On the Public address system: Padamsee announcing there is a leaflet to be filled in with ideas, and dropped in a box.
Update: In central Kolkata, too there is a huge traffic jam, as people from all walks of life gather at the Press Club near Kolkata Maidan.
Update: Some anger over this. People asking why private individuals are cordoning off a section of public property.
Update: A sign of the times: UTV spot boys have created this cordoned space so Padamsee and others can hold forth.
Update: From Kolkata: Enough is enough, we want solution, says Atish Thakur, a designer working with Hindustan Times
Update: One prime mover is Manyata Dutt, who took a blog post, mailed friends, and amplified today's rally."
Update: 5.55 Elsewhere, on the promenade opposite the Taj, a group of film personalities are holding their own rally
Update: Sista: "There are already a dozen groups here. Let a 100 groups bloom. At some point we will achieve convergence, but for now, we need to keep the fire burning."
Update: Rotary club has mobilised thousands of school kids.
Update: All roads leading to Gateway jammed
Update: Banners are not the only thing that convey people's emotions and feelings. There are full-throated slogans being shouted, renting the air: Vande Mataram, Hum Sab Ek Hain.. are among the popular ones...
Update: Banner: STAND TOGETHER, SPEAK TOGETHER. WE WILL BE HEARD!
Update: Banner: KILL TERRORISM TO SAVE TOURISM!
Update: Banner: What do you want? A SECURITY PLAN FOR THE COMMON MAN!
Update: Banner: STAND TOGETHER, SPEAK TOGETHER
Update: Banner: Stop reacting, start protecting!
Update: Banner: Terrorism will be defeated!
Update: Bobby Sista (founder of the NGO Population First): "This is a movement in search of direction. It is not about who leads, but in which direction we go."
Update: The government better be seeing this. If it does not take a lesson from this, it will soon be confined to the pages of history!
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Update: Oh my God! This is HUGE! Is the government hearing this? Seeing this?
Update: Rallyists condemn leaders for laxity against terrorism.
Update: 5.45: Citizens from all over the city. They want change, they want the government to get tough against terrorism and terrorists. This is HUGE. This is the first time that such a joint movement has taken off at such a grand scale!
Update: Padamsee: "We will then create a list of demands. We will give the government 100 days, and monitor them every day.
Update: 5.43 pm 'The only thing necessary for evil to flourish is for good men to do NOTHING!' says another banner at the rally.
Update: 5.43 After Jehangir you see them, young professionals with banners
Update: Traffic jam ahead at Regal Theatre....
Update: Banner: Bring back the army till we feel safe again
Update: Bring back the army till we feel safe again, say banners.
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Update: Banner: I would rather a dog visited my house than a politician
Update: Padamsee: "we hope today to collect and collate ideas. We will then create a List of demands.
Update: 5.38 Ad guru Alyque Padamsee and Bobby Sista off in one corner. They expect a group of friends and well wishers to turn up
Update: 5:39 Rallyists petition the leaders to guarantee their security.
Update: 5:38 pm: Mumbaikars convert anger into call for change
Update: Mumbaites are turning out in big
Update: The number of rallyists is already more than 100,000... the rally is stretching up to Regal Theatre
Update: More heading into Churchgate station than out
Update: Its a huge gathering
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Update: Lots of people, lots of anger, all looking for direction, focus.
Update: 5.27 Early estimate: Crowd expected to cross 1 lakh
Update: Protest rallies not confined to Mumbai alone, other cities too join in in a show of solidarity.
Update: Newspapers and political groups have banners up, anti-Pak slogans being shouted
Update: I would put the crowd now at about 5000. All in groups all over the open space in front of the gatewa
Update: 5.26 A group of college students form a cordon, hold up signs saying 'no security, no taxes'
Update: The area in front of the Gateway is a mass of people already
Update: At the Metro corner, some 200 Nirankaris starting their own protest march
Update: All roads lead to Gateway. Massive crowds, lots of banners
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